Set: Realistic inner city backyard with rear of brick two-story dwelling, front of garage and tree with practical tree house.

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In this hilarious, heartfelt sequel to Over the Tavern, the Pazinski family has left the conservative 1950s for the rebellious 1960s. But prior knowledge of this working-class family is not a prerequisite to appreciating their ongoing trials and triumphs. As Apollo 11 is about to land on the moon, the family gathers to honor their late father's memory, and they quickly become entangled in each others' problems -- Rudy is re-thinking the priesthood, Eddie is preparing for fatherhood and Vietnam, and Annie is contemplating divorce as their mother Ellen considers a new romance. There's rarely a quiet moment in the Pazinski household as they hurtle towards the next decade.

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee*$100

Standard Edition$9.99

Stage Manager Edition$18.99

*The per performance fee begins at $100. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.

Play Details

In this hilarious, heartfelt sequel to Over the Tavern, the Pazinski family has left the conservative 1950s for the rebellious 1960s. But prior knowledge of this working-class family is not a prerequisite to appreciating their ongoing trials and triumphs. As Apollo 11 is about to land on the moon, the family gathers to honor their late father's memory, and they quickly become entangled in each others' problems -- Rudy is re-thinking the priesthood, Eddie is preparing for fatherhood and Vietnam, and Annie is contemplating divorce as their mother Ellen considers a new romance. There's rarely a quiet moment in the Pazinski household as they hurtle towards the next decade.

A one-act version of this play is available, perfect for competition use; contact Playscripts for details.

Comedy/Drama

120 - 135 minutes

3 f, 4 m

Content Notes: Mild adult language

Set: Realistic inner city backyard with rear of brick two-story dwelling, front of garage and tree with practical tree house.

Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-62384-183-6

Published Reviews

"Winces with pain and winks with joy. In its easy accessibility, this is a play that sometimes feels like an all-American musical comedy without the music."

Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times

"The new play--like the decade in which it is set--has a greater urgency and sharper realism than its predecessor, as the adult Pazinskis tackle grown-up issues like divorce, remarriage, war and draft-evasion. Dudzick is well on his way to becoming the Neil Simon of the Catholic, Polish-American working class..."

Alice T. Carter, InTheater Magazine

"...like the comforting taste of homemade bread, this production leaves reviewers satisfied, delighted and hungering for more."

Christina M. Abt, Hamburg Sun

"Dudzick's play will no doubt at some point be referred to as a Catholic's Brighton Beach Memoirs, with its lovable down-to-earth family members and well-timed comedic happenstances. Yet it is original and real--a slice of Americana that helps us all remember what being a family is all about."

David Fielding, Pittsburgh Theatre Critic

"What is true about individual plays may be also true about Dudzick's Pazinski family saga--that it reaches a better end for taking its time getting there."

Christopher Rawson, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

"Tom Dudzick's play has taken inertia out of sixties nostalgia and brought to life an honest take on family and an honest look at tolerance. King o' the Moon is dynamic entertainment from the very beginning."

John Simonds, The Rensselaer Beacon

"It isn't necessary to have seen Over the Tavern to be immediately drawn into King o' the Moon. The Pazinskis are compelling to watch whether one knows their history or not. A breezy comedy marked by more than a dash of heartache and poignance, King o' the Moon is a clever hybrid of dysfunctional family sitcom and emotional gut-wrencher. That's not an easy mix to create, but playwright Tom Dudzick manages it."

Catey Sullivan, Press Publications/Northeast Dupage

"Tom Dudzick's done it again. His follow-up to the wildly popular Over the Tavern, set a decade earlier, offers another warm, funny and bittersweet look at American family life, tinged with bright nostalgia but edged with dark realism."

Leah A. Zeldes, Wicker Park Booster

"Dudzick's writing offers an enjoyable piece of escapist theatre with distinct, memorable characters and a message of family unity that will seem welcome to many during these hard times."

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

"Dudzick presents the tensions and struggles associated with the nuclear family, fortunately without falling into nostalgia-for-nostalgia sake syndrome."